Nexus 5 Battery Life – Top Tips For A Better Performance

The Nexus 5, which was created by LG for Google, has a small battery with a capacity of 2300mAh, and the users are frustrated that the unit is non-replaceable. Which means that when the battery life decreases, the users have two options: to charge the phone more often, or to buy a new device. However, there are some methods that will help extend the battery life on your Nexus 5, and one of the solutions is to install the ElementalX kernel.

The reason why you’d want to install ElementalX is because it’s a substitute kernel to the stock Android kernel, or better, an intermediary between the device’s software and hardware, allowing them to communicate better. The features of ElementalX are: full voltage control; NTFS r/w and exFAT support; /dev/frandom support; fauxsound support; DriveDroid support; multirom support; optional: l2 and bus overclocking, sweep2wake and doubletap2wake, USB fastcharge; backlight dimmer, cooler color preset; the option to disable fsync and to disable wake functions with timeout or power button; wake gestures support; overclocking/underclocking options; ElementalX CPU governor with gboost etc.

ElementalX will surely extend the battery life on your Nexus 5, but to install it, you need to root and unlock bootloader, and you’ll also need a custom recovery installed. Once you install the ElementalX kernel on your Nexus 5 device (by choosing the current version of your Android) from the official website, the software will manage your battery and it will have an extended lifespan.

Other battery tips for your Nexus 5

Turn on Battery Saver

The device has a Battery Saver function which limits the number of applications that can run on your Nexus 5 and it disables vibration and the option to sync your accounts effectively. Also, you will need to manually open your email to check your latest messages, but if you want to extend the battery life, it’s worth the effort.

Disable “adaptive brightness”

The True HD IPS+ display on the Nexus 5 drains the battery faster because if the users select to adjust it for optimal brightness, the light sensor doesn’t adapt effectively and consumes a lot of juice. It’s better to use the lowest brightness setting, even if the screen will be darker.

Send your device to “sleep” sooner

As long as the display is turned on, the battery will drain faster. If you don’t use your phone, we recommend you to manually turn off your display or to set it to go to sleep after 15 seconds, instead of leaving it turned on for 1 minute. To do that, go to Settings>display> and tap “Sleep”, where you’ll see a list of intervals: 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 30 minutes. Set it to the lowest number and your phone will thank you later!

Don’t choose animated wallpapers

They are interesting, but battery-vampires and we suggest you to select a darker and static wallpaper that doesn’t consume too much juice. Also, it’s recommendable to limit the number of widgets, because they are updated in the background and kill your battery, slowly.

Update your Nexus device

If your phone is still running on Android 5.0 Lollipop, we must inform you that Google released a new update, 5.1, and you should upgrade your Nexus 5 as soon as possible, by going to About phone > System updates.

Turn off Bluetooth and Location

If you’re no longer using these services, don’t let them run in the background. Go to quick settings > Bluetooth and Location and turn them off.